




^ 0 ^ 


*> .-sSNv Cy :s\^/y7^ ^ V-* 

'^o o'^' » ^ 

''^<£ I vO 




'^o 0^ 

*'''*'v/!'” CV*’^”’o^"' ... ''v*'-”\' 

^ V ^ ^\V % ' ^ t o V 

, A^- ^ 5) ^ -1=^^ 

C,'> ^ jA^$f ^ k \> 

. C.^ A\\ ^8 //^ o cT' ,A' 


V» *► , 


]^/ 


0 


✓ 


’ « f 


o <^;r> 


V 

<V ^ 

s? ^ 

y' 

_Vm25^ <* 
^iii!i!l!!ll^^ 

% 

c 

%• 

^ U/ 
o %(y 

O V 

•it 

vvs^A V^ ce 

' ^S \n^ 

/■ 


« -f 

< ^ 

0 ^ .A 

A' 

A N 










■ , 0 N c , % ' • • ' . 

v^ ^ r-C^ ^ 

^ A > < 

V 


’ <» r"* '-'z^o^ ^ CL» d^ ^ ^ 

0 ^ ^ 8 . A ^ '=^ ^ 0 ^ 

.V -vstei « 


* A>‘ 

^ .x'A 'J 


» . . ■'■"- * 
<e^ c»’-‘> •^'- 

xO °^. > 







"^ ' S ^ 


0 ^ K '*‘ 

' '/ 

fO^ -' ^ r 

^ ^0 


c* ^ 

0 A C> 



-4 d^ ^ -V 

*“ \'^ * S '' 

\\ .\ Ni f '^> ' ^ 'Ni 

A' c -p^ . 0 ^ 



« A " 


i it i, s'^ ■'O 

A' c 9^ n . *o. ,-0' v^ 


' <f'r A' ‘ 

'- ^ z 


tt <if ” A 

^ 0 , X •* A ^ ^ 

^ aX ^ 




C* ^ 

^.* ^81 

C^v- ^ ^ - 0 ,. _ ^ 

a'^ ^ 

c^ < 


'n.. 























BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


THE FOX AND THE LITTLE KED HEN 


BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

BY 

CLIFTON JOHNSON 


Hop-o’-My-Thumb 

The Babes in the Wood 

The Bbave Tin Soldier 

The Fox and the Little Red Hen 

Golden Hair and the Three Bears 

Cinderella 

Puss IN Boots 

Jack and the Beanstalk 

Little Red Riding-Hood 

The Story of Chicken-Licken 


Additional books will be added 
to this series from time to time. 










4 




I 



*r- 







4 








t- 








I 



if 

;» i 


* 





■:k . : >'• ' 




' ■ ;• .%• 








•v. 


> V 


.-»■ ^ 
‘ - r 

V-.v, 


■i 








The robber fox comes home 

{Page 16) 


BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


THE FOX AND 
THE LITTLE RED HEN 

BY 

CLIFTON JOHNSON 


ILLUSTRATED BY 
HARRY L. SMITH 


NEW YORK 

THE MACAULAY COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 



Copyright, 1919 

By the MACAULAY COMPANY 


AU Rights Reserved 



kj I9!'d 


0 


Printed in the U. S. A, 


©C!-A5 29!>:>t) 


INTEODUCTOEY NOTE 


The books in this series of Bedtime Won- 
der Tales are made up of favorite stories 
from the folklore of all nations. Such stor- 
ies are particularly enjoyed by children from 
four to twelve years of age. As here told 
they are free from the savagery, distressing 
details, and excessive pathos which mar 
many of the tales in the form that they have 
come down to us from a barbaric past. But 
there has been no sacrifice of the simplicity 
and humor and sweetness that give them 
perennial charm. 

The sources of the stories in this volume 
are as follows : Page 11, America ; 16, Scot- 
land ; 31, Grimm ; 37, Scotland ; 48, England ; 
56, Grimm; 61, Italy; 82, India; 100, Swe- 
den; 127, American Negro. 


. t 


> \ 


\ ■ 

I 

} ' > * 1 


I- ' 





1 


, f ^ 


i 

I * 


t • ' 


> 


. - - ■ - ■ ^ j -■ 




. I 




V ; • t 

- ^ , 7 . • 

<•1. ’■ f • t ‘ , •' 


A’ 


• >■ ■ 

. , V' 't a’-iT. y ,A ,* 


. / '•■■' 


. ) 


■ i • - ’ . ' . • ■ * • ''ll . 

• ■ ► v (■ . ■ ’ , •,, ]■’/. •.r 

. 1 ■-'■'i 

- " ^ : ,•> • " ' V 

'' }■' '■ / ' '■■■'' 

■n/'A 'I: . V. ■ v'A'A . .’i:' 


, t 



/ i’ / 

.r 


, 'rf 

A "'.//A A' 


CONTENTS 


I Outwitting the Fox 11 

II The Silly Sheep 16 

III A New Home Found 21 

IV A Third Failure 27 

V King of the Birds 31 

VI Alexander Jones 37 

VII An Exciting Meeting 42 

VIII The Golden Balls 48 

IX A Girl and a Rabbit 56 

X What the Stars Told 61 

XI Dion the Wanderer 66 

XII The Tournament 74 

XIII A Clever Rat 82 

XIV Two Coachmen Dine 88 

XV A Princesses Troubles 93 

XVI Nimble Lars 100 

XVII The Duke^s Palace 106 

XVIII A Scrap op Paper 114 

XIX A Puzzling Situation 121 

XX Paying the Judge 127 



ILLUSTRATIONS 


The Robber Fox Comes Home . . Frontispiece 

See text page 15 

Driving out the Sheep with a Broomstick . 18 

The Rabbit that Stole Cabbages .... 58 

Nimble Lars and his Cartload of Old Shoes. 118 


T', 


I 

t ' 
1 


f 



I 



4 

I 

* 

t 

t 

. f 

t 


I 


> I 




1 






THE FOX AND THE 
LITTLE RED HEN 

I 

OUTWITTrSTG THE FOX 

Once upon a time there was a little red hen 
who lived in the edge of a piece of woodland. 

On the other side of the woodland dwelt a 
crafty robber fox with his mother. 

One morning, right after breakfast, the 
robber fox said : ^‘Mother, you make a fire 
and get the pot boiling. I’m going to catch 
the little red hen. We’ll cook her as soon 
as I come back and have her for dinner.” 

Then he slung a bag over his shoulder, and 
started for the little red hen’s house. 

The little red hen did not suspect that she 

II 


12 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


was in any danger, and she busied herself 
with her morning work as usual. After- 
ward she looked at her clock to see what time 
it was. 

‘^Well,’’ she said, ‘^now I must begin to 
get dinner, and the first thing I’ll do is to 
step out into the yard for a few chips to 
make my fire bum more briskly.” 

So out she went, and while she was filling 
her apron with the chips the fox arrived. 
But she did not see him, and he slipped slyly 
along in the shelter of the trees and bushes 
toward the house. 

She kept on with her task, and at a mo- 
ment when her back was turned he ran in 
and hid behind the door. 

‘‘I’ll catch her easily enough now,” he 
said. 

Pretty soon the little red hen came in. 
She was just going to shut and lock the door 
when she saw the fox. The sight gave her 


OUTWITTING THE FOX 


13 


such a fright that she dropped all her chips 
and flew up to a peg in the wall. 

^‘Ha, ha!’’ the robber fox laughed, ‘‘it 
won’t take me long to bring you down from 
there.” 

Then he began running round and round 
after his tail. 

The little red hen knew that this was some 
trick of his to catch her, and her heart went 
pit-a-pat with fright. She kept turning 
about on the peg to watch him. That made 
her dizzy, and in a few minutes she fell off. 

At once the fox picked her up, and put 
her in his bag. He had succeeded in his un- 
dertaking and he started for home feeling 
very smart. By and by he grew tired and 
sat down to rest. 

As he sat there the little red hen began to 
wonder if she could contrive to escape. She 
did not want to be eaten, and she thought and 
thought until at last she happened to think 


14 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


that she had her scissors in her apron pocket. 

‘‘I’ll use those scissors to get out of this 
horrid bag,” she thought. 

Without waiting another moment she took 
the scissors, snipped a hole in the bag, and 
jumped out. The ground just there was 
strewn with stones. The little red hen 
picked up several of the stones that were as 
large as she could lift, and put them in the 
bag in her place. Then she ran home as fast 
as she could go. 

After a while the fox got up and went on. 
“How heavy this little hen is!” he said to 
himself. ‘ ‘ She must be very plump and fat. 
Ah ! won ’t she make a nice dinner. ’ ’ And he 
smacked his lips as he thought of how good 
she would taste. 

When he came in sight of his house he saw 
his mother standing in the doorway. “Hi, 
mother!” he called out, “have you got the 
pot boiling?” 


OUTWITTING THE FOX 15 

‘ ‘ Yes, yes, ’ ’ his mother replied ; ^ ‘ and have 
you brought the little red hen"?^’ 

She’s here in this bag I have on my 
shoulder, ’ ’ was his answer ; ^ * and she ’ll make 
a fine dinner.” 

He soon reached the house and went in. 
^^Now, mother,” he said, ^‘when I coimt 
three, you take the cover off the pot, and 
I’ll pop the little red hen right into the hot 
water.” 

‘‘Very well,” his mother responded. 

“All ready,” the fox said; “one, two, 
three!” 

His mother took the cover off, and splash 
went the stones into the boiling water. They 
were so heavy, and descended so violently 
that they tipped over the pot of boiling wa- 
ter, and the robber fox and his mother were 
scalded to death. 

But the little red hen lives in the edge of 
the woodland by herself yet. 


n 


THE SILLY SHEEP 

A SHEPHEBD and Ms collie dog were driving 
a flock of- sheep along a moorland road. One 
of the younger sheep turned aside to nibble 
some tufts of nice tender grass that grew be*» 
hind a large bowlder. The bowlder hid Mm 
from the shepherd and the collie dog, and 
they passed on. 

When the sheep fimshed browsing the 
grass he looked around and found he was all 
alone. But that did not trouble him, and 
he loitered here and there until he noticed 
that the sky had grown dark and threaten- 
ing. 

Night was near, and the sheep ran about 
over the moorland waste in great anxiety 

seeking for shelter. Then rain began to fall. 

16 


THE SILLT SHEEP 


17 


A nimble of thunder increased his fears, and 
the croak of a raven in a neighboring pine 
tree nearly drove all the little wits he had 
left out of his head. 

‘^Baa, baa, baa!” the silly sheep cried as 
he galloped hither and thither. ‘‘What 
shall I do?” 

J ust then he spied the smoke of a cottage 
chimney curling up from behind a heathery 
hillock, and he hastened toward it. Soon he 
came to a little wicket gate. He pushed it 
open, and ran up a path between a patch 
of potatoes on one side and a patch of cab- 
bages on the other side. At the end of the 
path was the cottage door, and he burst if 
open and entered the kitchen. 

An old woman lived in the cottage, and she 
was sitting by the kitchen fire. “Goodness 
me!” she exclaimed, and jumped up in a 
great fright. But as soon as she saw the 
sheep she recovered from her alarm. 


18 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


‘ ‘ W ell, well ! ’ ’ she said, ‘ ‘ good luck has f al- 
len to me today, for I feel sure I can make 
some money out of this visitor. I’m glad 
to see you, my pretty sheep,” and she 
dropped him a curtsy. 

So she gave him the best of care, and all 
he had to do was to eat, sleep, and chew his 
cud at her fireside. He was not without 
gratitude, and one day as he lay before the 
hearth he said to himself : ‘‘I wish I could 
do this kind old woman a favor. I would 
do anything that is within my power to 
please her.” 

While he was lying there the old woman 
came in and got supper ready. She was 
very tired, for she had been out all day 
working in the turnip field. After she fin- 
ished eating she yawned and said, ‘‘O deary 
me! how I wish the supper dishes would 
clear themselves off the table, and that I 
was in bed.” 



Driving out the sheep with a broomstick 



i’ 


'^' ^ ■■ ■" 't 7> 

n ^ L " V'**. » • 

w^'^=< ., ■:' //.■ '-M 






!ci • ^ ^ 

• 1 ^ ? » % m ^ 

■r • * - /f 

i J'* 

k;v >, .i^. ?. < : 
f,v -.tV, ‘ • ' : 


-u . 

-» I nil-r 



-- * -3 


• , S sT »". > ■ ''’ ■ '-. -'y^WKMj 

?S-.'=Bi%vSS£!^u^: 

f \i^4# 1^^. 1^ ‘. 4 I * A' • 


1*1 1'^ > 

Liips^ ♦. .v?' 

•^y » 


" ' y t '•' 



L :'’-';5&. ■ ■ . ; - . , -£2 *1 .. ■• '> 

KTt.-. - ■■< -’ v^ r ‘.Jl -'*^.: 



I?W:V •. - - r .qs- . 

f^r\ •' ..^ , * ' ivTSSi.* ♦ 't:. .S>^ ^ i. ^jCf' ^ ^ ^ 

^•^\i . -»• - , . "Sifr (••.-> ^•' ' «: *f i *. 


'<‘ f ^ mwwwiw^ *.4 «: --- 

■' - ‘‘V ^ ■ 

^ W^ jMM^ ^ An. ^ ' • aTX * tf __'*.• ^ 




sr^Vfjis.- '.,'-pe » . . 


* 


uHi 



THE SILLY SHEEP 


19 


tlie silly sheep thought, ^^now is 
my time to do the old woman a favor. I 
have grown strong enough, thank's to her 
good feeding, to easUy do what she wants 
done.” 

Up he got, made a sudden rush, and butted 
the table upside down. Then he made a 
second rush and bounced the old woman 
onto her bed, which was close by against the 
wall. 

‘‘Baa, baa, baa!” the silly sheep ex- 
claimed. “What do you think of that, old 
woman ? I have cleared off your table, and 
there you are flat on your back where you 
wished to Fe.” 

“Just wait a minute and I’ll baa, baa 
you!” the old woman screeched from the 
bed. 

She got up slowly and painfully, reached 
out her hand, and got her broomstick. The 
silly sheep had no suspicion that she in- 


20 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


tended to punisli him. ^‘Now comes my re- 
ward/’ he said. 

But in a twinkling he found himself out- 
side, with bruises all over him. He did not 
dare to go back, and he ran off across the 
moorland. 


Ill 


A NEW HOME FOUND 

After the silly sheep had been driven forth 
from the home where he had been so com- 
fortable, he felt as if he had been very badly 
used. 

‘^Well, there’s no accounting for the in- 
gratitude of some people,” he moaned, ‘‘I 
shall certainly be careful how I do a kind- 
ness next time.” 

He wandered disconsolately along until 
the daylight was fading into darkness. 
^^Baa, baa, baa!” he cried. ^‘Will no one 
take pity on a poor lost sheep? Baa, baa, 
baa ! Ah, there ’s a chance for help at last ! ’ ’ 
He had caught sight of another old 

woman. She was carrying a spinning-wheel 
21 


22 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


up a narrow path that led from the highway 
toward a wood. 

follow her,’’ the sheep said. ‘^She 
can’t carry that thing far. I fancy we must 
be near her house.” 

So he ran on to overtake the old woman. 
Soon she reached her cottage at the border 
of the wood, and was about to enter it when 
she heard footsteps behind her. 

She glanced around and exclaimed : 

Hello! why here’s a sheep. I’m in luck. 
The poor thing looks banged about, but a 
day or two of good care will make him all 
right, and I shall presently shear a nice 
fleece. Come in, pretty sheep, come in and 
welcome.” 

Then she held the door of her cottage 
open, and the silly sheep went in and lay 
down by the fire. He knew how to behave 
well in a house, and he and the old woman 
got on capitally. She chuckled to herself 


A NEW HOME FOUND 


23 


over her good fortune. Her stock of wool 
was getting low, and here was enough on 
the sheep to keep her wheel going for a long 
time to come. 

So the silly sheep received the best of 
care and throve and grew fat. His fleece be- 
came shining and silky, for the old woman 
combed and washed it daily, and the sheep 
could not help wishing to do something in 
return. He began to watch for a favorable 
opportunity to show his gratitude. One fine 
morning, just before shearing time, the 
chance came. 

What a trouble it will be for me to have 
this sheep sheared!” he heard the old woman 
mutter as she was eating breakfast. 
must go up the valley this very day to en- 
gage a man to do the shearing. How I wish 
the fleece would come off of itself and save 
me aU the bother!” 

After she had left to go up the valley. 


24 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


tlie sheep said: ‘‘I think I can get off the 
fleece without troubling any one to shear me. 
The old woman has been so kind that I don’t 
grudge doing whatever I can to please her. 
Besides the weather is very sultry. I shall 
feel much more comfortable without this 
thick covering of wool, and the sooner it 
is off the better.” 

At the back of the cottage was a thorny 
hedge, and in a pasture fleld beyond were 
many clumps of prickly furze. The sheep 
went out and looked around. ‘‘The hedge 
and the furze bushes will be just the things,” 
he said. 

Then he capered in and out of the hedge, 
and rubbed about among the furze clumps, 
until no wool was left on his back except a 
few wretched shreds hanging here and there 
in rough tangles. He was cut and scratched 
from head to foot and presented a most 
melancholy appearance. 


A NEW HOME FOUND 


25 


Presently a brisk wind sprang up, and a 
good half of the scraps of fleece, that bung 
in festoons of every length on furze and 
hedge, was caught by the breeze and sent 
flying along the road. These scraps were a 
pleasant surprise to the old woman, who saw 
them as she neared home on her return. She 
supposed they had been shed from a passing 
flock, and though not of much value, she 
picked up the larger pieces. 

When she arrived at her cottage and saw 
the tattered sheep standing in the pathway, 
and the bits of wool scattered about every- 
where on the bushes and the ground, she was 
dumb with astonishment and rage. 

‘^Baa, baa, baal See what I have done 
for you,” the silly sheep cried. 

He observed that the old woman was 
striding toward him, and he added to him- 
self, '‘Baa, baa, baa! here comes the re- 
ward.” 


26 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


But the next moment he found himself 
kicked through the wicket gate into the road. 

‘ ‘ O dear ! O dear ! ’ ’ the silly sheep groaned, 
‘‘what an old brute she is to behave so!” 

He galloped down the road as fast as three 
legs could carry him. The fourth leg had 
been struck by the old woman’s heavy hob- 
nailed shoe, and was too sore for use. 


iv: 


A THIED FAILUEE 

After the silly sheep was kicked out of the 
wicket gate by the old woman who lived at 
the edge of the wood he wandered on and 
on along the lonely moorland road. ^^Baa, 
baa, baa!” he cried, ^‘will no one take pity 
on a poor lost sheep?” 

All day he limped slowly forward, only 
stopping now and then to nibble a little grass 
or to drink from a wayside brook. The sun 
was low in the west when he caught sight of 
an old woman picking up sticks in a thicket 
a little off the road. 

^‘Baa, baa, baa!” the silly sheep bleated. 
^^Ah! there is help at last. I will lie down 
here in the grass beside the road, and wait 

27 


28 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


till the old woman is through with her wood- 
gathering/’ 

She soon finished her tasK, and then toiled 
off homeward with a bundle of sticks on her 
back. The silly sheep had been watching 
and he followed right at her heels until she 
reached her cottage. Just as she opened the 
door, he slipped past her into the room, and 
lay down by the fire. 

^‘Why, here is a sheep!” the old woman 
exclaimed. ‘‘Where in the world can he 
have come from?” 

She bent over the silly sheep to examine 
him more closely, and said: “Oh, mercy 
me ! what a state the poor thing is in ! Some- 
body has been abusing him. His wool is 
nearly all torn off, but he is fat and is a prize 
worth having.” 

That evening, after she had eaten her sup- 
per, she cut off the ragged bits of fleece 
that still hung about the sheep, washed his 


A THIRD FAILURE 


29 


cuts and bruises, and fed bim generously. 

As time passed on she gave a great deal of 
attention to making bim comfortable, and be 
grew sleek again and so fat be scarcely cared 
to move from bis place by tbe beartb. He 
did little but eat and sleep all day long. 

So delighted was tbe sbeep with bis new 
quarters and bis new mistress that bis for- 
mer misfortunes were forgotten. ^ ‘ Surely, ’ ^ 
be thought, ‘‘such a kind old woman cannot 
be ungrateful. I will try to do her a favor 
if I can discover what she wants.’’ 

Now tbe dark nights of November ap- 
proached, and tbe old woman decided it was 
time to salt some mutton and bang it up in 
the larder for use during tbe winter. One 
afternoon, while she sat considering bow 
much of the mutton would do fresh for her 
present use, and how much was to be salted, 
she reached out her band and stroked 
tbe silly sheep. ‘‘What a lovely time I 


30 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


shall have eating you!” she remarked. 

‘‘Eating me!” the sheep exclaimed under 
his breath. ‘ ‘ Is that what she intends to do ? 
The old wretch ! I wouldn’t have thought it 
after all her kindness. Plainly, this is no 
place for me.” 

Pretty soon the woman put on her shawl 
and went to the village on an errand. Then 
up got the sheep, and out he went to the 
moorland road and ran away as fast as he 
could go. But that was not very fast, for 
he was extremely fat. 

On and on he hurried until about dusk he 
ran into a flock of sheep. To his joy he dis- 
covered that it was the very flock to which 
he belonged, and from which he had been so 
long absent. Never afterward did he lag 
behind the other sheep when the shepherd 
was driving them from one place to another, 
and, so far as I know, he is still feeding on 
the moorland with that same flock. 


y 

KING OF THE BIKDS 

One summer’s day a bear and a wolf were 
walking along together in a wood when they 
heard a bird singing very sweetly. 

‘‘Brother Wolf,” the bear said, “what 
kind of a bird is it that we hear singing so 
prettily?” 

“That is the King of the Birds, before 
whom we must do reverence,” the wolf re- 
plied. But really it was only a wren. 

“If that is the King of the Birds,” the 
bear said, “I would like to see his royal 
palace. Show it to me.” 

“I will show it to you as soon as the queen 
returns home,” the wolf responded. 

So they waited and kept a sharp watch. 
Soon they saw the queen go to her nest, which 

31 


32 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


was in a crevice of a bank. She carried food 
in her beak for ber young ones. A few mo- 
ments later she flew away. 

Then the wolf and the bear went and 
peeped into the nest. They saw five or six 
young birds in it. 

‘‘Is that wretched hole a royal palace?’’ 
the bear asked. “And do you mean to say 
that those are royal children? They are 
miserable brats!” 

When the young wrens heard him speak in 
that way of them, they were furious. “No, 
no, we are not!” they shrieked. “You shall 
be punished for your insulting words.” 

The bear and the wolf began to be scared, 
and they went off and hid themselves in their 
dens. But the young birds went on scream- 
ing and making a terrible noise. 

As soon as their parents brought them 
food again, the fledgelings said: “We wiU 
not touch so much as the leg of a fly — no, 


KING OF THE BIEDS 


33 


not if we starve — ^till you have proved that 
we are respectable children. The bear has 
been calling us names.” 

There, there, my dears,” their father 
said, ‘^be quiet, and he shall be punished.” 

So the father and mother birds flew to the 
bear’s den, and cried: ‘‘Old Growler, why 
have you insulted our children? You shall 
suffer for what you have done. We declare 
a flerce war on you.” 

The wrens flew away, and the bear made 
haste to call his friends to his aid. In re- 
sponse to his appeal, the four-footed beasts 
assembled in great numbers — cattle, don- 
keys, elephants, lions, and every animal that 
walks the earth with four feet. 

Meanwhile the wrens summoned all the 
creatures with wings — not only the birds, 
but gnats, hornets, bees and flies. The father 
wren sent out spies to discover who was to 
be the general of the enemy’s army. 


34 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Among the spies were some gnats, and 
they were the most cunning of all. One of 
them flew to a wood and found the four- 
footed beasts holding a council beneath a 
great tree. He alighted on a leaf of the 
tree, and heard the bear say to the fox; 
‘‘Reynard, you are famous for your slyness. 
So you shall be our general and lead us.’’ 

“Very good,” the fox said; “and now we 
must agree on a signal. I have a fine long 
bushy tail which looks very like a white- 
tipped red feather at a distance. If I hold 
it straight up you can know that all is going 
well. But if I allow it to hang down you 
must run for your lives.” 

When the fox finished speaking, the gnat 
flew back and told the father wren what 
had been said. 

At dawn the next morning the four-footed 
beasts came rushing forward to battle with 
the birds. They roared and bellowed, and 


KING OF THE BIRDS 


35 


the very earth shook with their tread. The 
wren and his army came also, whirring 
through the air, screaming and flapping and 
buzzing enough to make you tremble in your 
shoes. 

Thus the two hosts advanced against each 
other, and the wren sent a hornet to settle 
on the fox’s tail and sting it as hard as pos- 
sible. 

The hornet did as it was ordered. When 
the fox felt the sting he lifted a hind leg, 
but he bore the pain bravely and kept his 
tail in the air. Again the hornet stung, and 
the fox was forced to let his tail droop a lit- 
tle bit, but only a little. Then the hornet 
stung for the third time, and down went the 
tail of the fox between his legs. 

The other beasts at once concluded that 
all was lost, and each ran as fast as it could 
go to its own hole. So the birds won the 
battle. 


36 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


The wren and his wife flew home to their 
children, and said: ‘‘Now be happy. Eat 
and drink to your hearts’ content, for we 
are the victors.” 

But the young wrens said, “We will not 
touch a thing until the bear has been to the 
nest and begged our pardon and admitted 
that we are respectable children.” 

The parent wrens therefore flew to the 
bear’s den, and shouted, “Old Growler, you 
must come to our nest and beg pardon of our 
little ones for calling them names, or you 
shall be punished!” 

Their threat terrified the bear greatly, and 
he came crawling to the nest and apologized. 

Thus, at last, the young wrens were satis- 
fied, and they ate, drank, and made merry 
far into the night. 


ALEXANDER JONES 

^^Kate, move a wee bit east,” the town 
clerk said to his wife as they sat together on 
a high-backed bench before the fire one 
chilly autumn evening. ^‘You’re taking too 
much room. You have more than your 
share of the seat.” 

But Kate had just got her knitting into 
a tangle, and was not in the best of humor. 
So she paid no attention to her husband’s 
request, and moved not a single inch. 

^^Kate,” he said again, ‘‘move a wee bit 
east. It’s not right to sit so selfish. I’m 
at the very end of the bench, and here you 
are with your elbows digging into me. Sit 

a bit east; do you hear?” 

37 


38 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


When she did not respond, the town clerK 
gave his wife a rude shove. 

‘‘What do you mean by pushing me like 
that?’’ she demanded. “And what do you 
mean by east? There’s no such thing as 
east, and I can prove it.” 

^ “No such thing as east!” the town clerk 
shouted. “Will you not believe the sun? 
You know very well that the sun goes 
around the earth every day and is always 
rising every moment somewhere in the east. 
Therefore everywhere is the east all over the 
world. So I hope you will not make a goose 
of yourself and talk nonsense.” 

Kate rose to her feet, and said : “You do 
not look at the matter in the right way at all. 
As for the sun, it is constantly setting some- 
where in the west and doing it every moment. 
Therefore, everywhere is west; and I trust 
you will not be so foolish as to mention east 
again.” 


ALEXANDER JONES 


39 


He shook his head and was going to reply, 
when she began to run around the table to 
show how the sun went, at the same time cry- 
ing loudly, ‘‘West, west, west!’’ 

This made the town clerk very angry, and 
he got up and ran around the table in the 
opposite direction, yelling, “East, east, 
east!’’ to show how he thought the sun went. 

Yet it only ended in their getting ex- 
tremely giddy and banging their heads to- 
gether, a thing which hurt very much, and 
did not improve their tempers, nor help solve 
the difficulty, you may be sure. 

Meanwhile Alexander Jones sat quiet in a 
corner and said nothing. 

The town clerk and his wife were agreed 
on one thing, which was that the question 
was of too deep importance to be left unset- 
tled so they went to the grocer, who had a 
good-sized house up the street, and Alexan- 
der Jones went with them. 


40 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

They told the grocer about their dispute. 
The grocer and the grocer’s maiden aunt, 
and the grocer’s wife’s youngest married sis- 
ter, and the grocer’s wife’s youngest married 
sister’s little girl were all much interested. 
But some took one view, and some took an- 
other ; and then they all began to run around 
the table, a part of them in one direction 
crying, ^^East!” and the rest in the opposite 
direction crying, ^^West!” to show how the 
sun moved, in their opinion. 

It only ended in their getting extremely 
giddy, and in banging their heads together, 
a thing which hurt very much and did not 
improve their tempers nor help to solve the 
difficulty. 

Meanwhile Alexander Jones sat quiet in 
a corner and said nothing. 

They all agreed in one thing, which was 
that the question was of too deep impor- 
tance to be left unsettled. So the whole com- 


ALEXANDER JONES 


41 


pany, including Alexander Jones, went to 
the home of the mayor. His dwelling was a 
large house facing on the market-place. 

They told him of the dispute with all the 
ins and outs of the matter. The mayor, and 
the mayor’s wife, and the mayor’s favorite 
uncle, and the mayor’s oldest nephew, and 
the mayor’s nephew’s little hoy were all 
much interested, to say the least. But some 
took one view and some took another view ; 
and then they all began to run around the 
table, a part of them in one direction crying, 
‘‘East!” and the rest in the opposite direc- 
tion crying “West!” to show how the sun 
really moved, in their opinion. 

This only ended in their all getting very 
giddy, and in banging their heads together, 
a thing which hurt and did not improve their 
tempers nor help to solve the .difficulty. 

Meanwhile Alexander Jones sat quiet in 
a corner and said nothing. 


VII 


AN EXCITING MEETING 

The people at the mayor’s house all agreed 
in one thing, which was that the question was 
of too deep importance to he left unsettled. 
So the mayor called a meeting of the whole 
populace in the town hall. The people as- 
sembled, and Alexander Jones was there 
among the rest. The only persons not pres- 
ent were Peter the watchman and his sister 
J essica. 

Then the mayor told about the dispute, and 
everybody was much interested. But some 
took one view, and some took another view, 
and they all wanted to run around a table to 
show how each thought the sun moved. 

Here, however, a difficulty arose; for^ 

42 


AN EXCITING MEETING 43 

alas ! there was no table in the town hall to 
run around, and what were they to do ? 

But they would not allow themselves to be 
balked by a trifle like that — ^not they. So 
they requested the mayor to stand in the mid- 
dle, and let them run around him, each in 
the direction he or she pleased. 

The mayor strongly objected to such a 
proceeding. He said it would make him 
dizzy to see some folks going one way 
around him, and some the other. 

would certainly be sick,’’ he declared. 

Therefore, I suggest that Alexander Jones 
be placed in the middle. Yes, why couldn’t 
we run around him? Better make use of 
him, he is so stupid and says nothing. Be- 
sides, I want to run around with the rest of 
you myself, and why should I be cut out? 
So I say let’s run around Alexander Jones.” 

‘ ^ No, no, no ! ” the people cried. ‘ ^ Alexan- 
der Jones is too small. We would tread on 


44 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

him. Alexander J ones would not do at all. ’ ^ 

They insisted that the mayor must do as he 
had been asked. Didn’t we give you a 
gold badge to wear only the other day?” 
they said. You must make us some return 
for it or we will take it away.” 

So the poor man had to give in. But he 
insisted on having his eyes bandaged, and 
also on having a chair to sit in. Otherwise, 
he knew he would be sick. The chair was 
brought, his eyes were bandaged, and down 
he sat. 

Then the people began to run around him, 
some one way crying ^‘East!” and some the 
opposite way crying ^‘West!” to show how 
the sun really moved, in their opinion. 

This only resulted in their getting very 
giddy, and banging their heads together, a 
thing which hurt, and did not improve their 
tempers nor help solve the difficulty. Worst 
of all, just at the end, when they could run 


AN EXCITING MEETING 45 


no longer and were quite out of breath, Eliza 
MacPadden, the fat widow who kept the 
candy shop, fell plump against the mayor, 
and sent him and his chair tumbling to the 
floor. 

Meanwhile Alexander Jones sat quiet in a 
corner and said nothing. 

The mayor pulled the bandage off his eyes 
in a towering passion, and declared that 
something must be settled then and there. 
He threatened to put a tax on buttons if 
they did not agree. That was rather clever 
of him, for every one, old and young, male 
and female, wore buttons, and would feel the 
tax. 

But he himself would be affected less by 
the tax than anybody else because he wore 
a robe ; and this robe, instead of being but- 
toned, was fastened by a buckle at the neck, 
and by a jeweled girdle around the waist. 

Now the town clerk addressed the people. 


46 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


‘^We must avoid this button tax at all haz- 
ards,’’ he affirmed. ‘‘Let us devise some 
way to solve for all time this terrible riddle 
which gives us so much concern. I propose 
that we call Peter the watchman in from the 
street. He is up at all hours, and doubtless 
knows more than most persons about the 
sun ’s movements. ’ ’ 

“Yes,” the grocer said, “by all means call 
in Peter, but if we do we must invite his 
sister, Jessica. She does the mayor’s wash- 
ing and is a person of importance in the 
town. Peter would certainly decline to 
come unless she came with him.” 

So Peter and his sister were sent for and 
we soon heard their footsteps and those of 
the messenger approaching in the street. 
This was, indeed, most provoking for me, be- 
cause there was no room left in the town hall 
for another person, and two would have to 
go out in order to admit Peter and Jessica. 


AN EXCITING MEETING 47 


First they put out Alexander Jones, because 
be was so stupid and said nothing. Next 
they put out me, because I was a stranger 
and only present in the hall out of cour- 
tesy. Thus it happened that I never knew 
what was the decision of the meeting. 

But perhaps you wonder why Alexander 
Jones was so dull as to sit in a corner and 
say nothing. Yet how could he do anything 
else ? Alexander Jones was the town clerk’s 
old 

TOM-CAT. 


yiii 


THE GOLDEN BALLS 

Two lassies who were sisters went to a fair 
on a pleasant sunshiny day in summer. 
As they were coming home they met a young 
man. They never had seen such a good- 
looking young man before. He had gold 
braid on his cap, a gold ring on his finger, 
and a gold watch-chain. Evidently he was 
as rich as he was handsome. 

In each hand he carried a golden ball, and 
he gave one to each lass, saying, ‘‘Be care- 
ful not to lose it, for if you do, you shall be 
hanged.” 

The girls carried the golden balls home, 
and put them safely away. But one day the 
younger sister took her ball outdoors to play 

48 


THE GOLDEN BALLS 


49 


with it in the yard back of the house. Be- 
yond the high yard wall was a park, and 
presently, as she was tossing up the ball, it 
went over the fence. 

By standing on tiptoe she brought her eyes 
above the top of the wall, and could look 
down to where the ball fell. There it was 
rolling along on the green grass, and it kept 
on rolling. Nor did it pause for hillock or 
hollow, but continued to roll till it entered 
the open door of a house that was in the 
park, and was gone from sight. 

Immediately afterward, the handsome 
young man appeared before the lass. ‘‘Come 
with me,’’ he said; and he took her away to 
be hanged, because she had lost her golden 
ball. 

The hanging was to take place three days 
later, he told her, but she would be spared 
if she could recover the ball in that time. 

She had a sweetheart, and was allowed to 


50 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


send a note to him telling what had hap- 
pened. As soon as he read it he said, 
will get the lost ball.” 

He went to the park gate, where an old 
woman with some keys dangling from her 
girdle confronted him, and asked what he 
wanted. 

In response, he told of the loss of the 
golden ball, and she said, ‘Hf you want to 
get it, you must sleep three nights in the 
house in this park where the ball now is.” 

^‘Thaf I will do,” he said. 

Then she unlocked the gate and let him 
pass. He went to the house and walked 
straight in at the door. For some time he 
wandered from room to room looking for 
the ball, but he did not find it, and he saw 
no one. 

Night came, and he had lain down to sleep 
in an upper room when he heard some bogles 
in the courtyard. He looked out of the win- 


51 


THE GOLDEN BALLS 

dow, and saw that the yard was full of them. 
While he was wacching them, he heard heavy 
footsteps coming upstairs. 

So he hid behind the chamber door and 
kept as still as a mouse. Soon a big giant, 
who was five times as tall as the youth, en- 
tered the room. He looked around. There 
was no one in sight, and he went to the 
window, bent down, and put his head 
out. 

He was resting on his elbows looking down 
at the bogles when the youth stepped behind 
him, and dealt him such a tremendous blow 
with his sword that he was cut in twain. The 
upper part of the giant’s body fell out of the 
window down in the yard. The other part 
leaned against the window ledge. 

A great cry rose from the bogles when 
they saw half the giant come tumbling down 
to them. They called out to the youth, whom 
they could see at the chamber window: ‘‘Ho, 


52 BEDTIME WONDEE TALES 

there! here is half our master. Give us 
the other half.’’ 

^‘Well,” the youth said, ^‘a pair of legs 
standing at the window is of no use and he 
cast the lower part of the giant after the up- 
per part. When the bogles had gotten all 
the giant they were quiet. 

The next night the youth was at the house 
again, and he lay down to sleep in the same 
upper room. By and by a second giant came 
tramping up the stairs. Just as he stooped 
and was entering the door with his head 
thrust forward, the youth leaped from the 
bed, sword in hand, and cut off the giant’s 
head. 

But the legs walked across the room to 
the fireplace and disappeared with the body 
up the chimney. Then the youth picked up 
the head, and threw it up the chimney, say- 
ing, ^‘Go where your legs have gone.” 

The third night the lad was once more in 


THE GOLDEN BALLS 


53 


tlie house. Scarcely had he lain down when 
he heard the bogles under the bed. They 
had the golden ball and were throwing it 
to and fro. The lad kept a sharp watch, and 
presently the ball rolled out into sight. In- 
stantly he grabbed it, and then away he went 
to seek his true love. 

She had been taken to a prison in a dis- 
tant town and was to be hung the next day. 
Morning came, and everything was ready. 
She was brought out from the prison to a 
scaffold on the town square, and a crowd 
gathered to look on. The hangman was 
beside her, saying, ^‘Your hour has ar- 
rived.” 

‘‘Stop, stop!” she exclaimed. “I see my 
mother coming. O mother, have you 
brought my golden ball and come to set me 
free?” 

“No,” Her mother answered, “I do not 
know where your golden ball is, and I have 


54 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


only come to bid you a last good-by before 
they bang you.” 

^‘Now, lass,” tbe hangman said, repeat 
your prayers; for you must die.” 

But she cried out : ‘ ^ Stop, stop ! I think 
I see my father coming. O father, have 
you brought my golden ball and come to set 
me free?” 

*^‘No,” her father responded, do not 
know what has become of your golden ball, 
and I have only come to bid you a last fare- 
well before you are hung.” 

‘‘Lass,” the hangman said, “you are only 
making fun of me. I will wait no longer. 
Tou must be hung at once. Say your pray- 
ers, and put your head in the noose.” 

But now she saw her sweetheart approach- 
ing through the crowd, and she said : ‘ ‘ Stop, 

. stop ! I see my sweetheart coming. Sweet- 
heart, have you brought my golden ball, and 
come to set me free?” 


THE GOLDEN BALLS 


55 


The youth held the golden ball over his 
head in the air, and replied, ‘^Yes, I have 
brought your golden ball, and come to set 
you free.” 

So she was allowed to go, and he took her 
home. Not long afterward they were mar- 
ried, and they were happy all the rest of 
their lives. 


IX 


A GIKL AND A BABBIT 

Once there was a woman who had a garden 
full of nice cabbages. But about the time 
the cabbages were half grown a rabbit be- 
gan to come to the garden every day to eat 
them. He ate and ate until the woman was 
afraid none would be left for her unless she 
put a stop to his eating. 

So she said to her little daughter, ^‘Go 
into the garden and drive out that rabbit.” 

The girl went to the garden, and cried: 
^‘Shoo, shoo! rabbit. Don’t eat all our cab- 
bages.” 

^^Come maiden,” the rabbit said, ^^sit on 
my tail and go with me to my home.” 

But the girl would not, and the rabbit ran 

56 


A GIRL AND A RABBIT 57 


off alone. Tlie next day, however, he came 
again and ate the cabbages as fast as ever. 

Then the woman said to her daughter, ‘‘Go 
into the garden and drive away that rabbit.’’ 

The girl hastened to the garden, and 
shouted: “Shoo, shoo! rabbit. Don’t eat 
all our cabbages.” 

“Come, maiden,” the rabbit said, “sit on 
my tail and go with me to my home.” 

But the girl would not, and the rabbit 
ran off alone. He was back for a third 
time the next day eating as usual. 

The woman looked out presently and spied 
him. “Go into the garden,” she said to 
her daughter, “and drive away that rabbit.” 

The girl hurried to the garden and 
shouted: “Shoo, shoo! rabbit. Don’t eat 
all our cabbages.” 

“Very well,” the rabbit said, “I will let 
the cabbages alone, if you will sit on my tail 
and go with me to my home.” 


58 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


So the girl seated herself on the rabbit 
tail, and the rabbit took her to his home. 

When they were inside of the hut where 
he lived he said : Maiden, you shall be my 
wife. We wiU be married this evening. 
While I am gone to invite the guests and 
get the parson, you can cook some beans and 
carrots. That will make a fine wedding 
feast.” 

Off ran the rabbit, and he invited all the 
other rabbits who had homes in the neigh- 
borhood, and he invited a number of squir- 
rels and several foxes. He arranged to 
have a crow, who was a parson, come to do 
the marrying. 

But the girl did not want to be a rabbit’s 
bride. So after she had hung a kettle of 
beans and carrots over the fire, she made a 
figure of straw and put her apron and bon- 
net on it. Lastly, she propped it up on a 
stool by the fireside to watch the kettle of 



The rabbit that stole cabbages 
















w • 


T 


-V* . 

$ 



t 


> 


'If 




\ 








V 



« 



4^ 



r 


I » 


/ 


• p 

<• 




f 





•K ' 




w 


f • 



i# 


* k 


V 

i 


0 





• *< 


I 


4 









* 


\ 




p 


i 


1^ 




\ 




* 


J" 


» 


/ 


« 


« 






♦ 


V 


« 






I 



< 





« - 


> 




» 


I 

♦ ^ 


^ ^ ▼ 

• ^ 






f 


I 


4 


» . . 


f 


I 


I 


# 


•• 



f 




S% 


f 


4 


« 


« 


4 


• ^ 


r 


s 


r 

\ 


4 


% 


f 


s 




» 


# 







r 


r^T 


• \ 4 




«. 


4 



4 


I 







( 


% 





* ■ * < 


* 







4 




> 


.. • l» 


J 


4 

r 




« 


4 
f“ 

5 








•C 


I 


< 




I 


• • 







% ' 




> 


4 


4 



» 


I 




i 

* 

• » 

» 4 



« 



A GIRL AND A RABBIT 59 


beans and carrots. Then she hurried to her 
own home as fast as she could go. 

B7 and by the rabbit returned to his hut 
and saw the girl, as he supposed, sitting by 
the fire. 

^‘Get up, get up!’’ he said. ^‘The wed- 
ding guests are coming, and we must have 
the feast ready on the table for them.” 

He looked out of the window. ‘‘Yes, 
yes !” he cried, “I see them. They will soon 
be here.” 

Then he turned toward the maiden, and 
was surprised to find that she had not 
stirred. 

“Get up, get up!” he shouted. “The 
guests are at the door.” 

The girl, however, said nothing, and re- 
mained seated. This made the rabbit very 
angry. He went close to her, and yelled; 
“Get up, I say ! Don’t you hear me?” 

The guests were already crowding in at 


60 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


the door, and the rabbit was so irritated that 
he raised his paw and boxed the girl’s ears. 
To his dismay, the head of the straw figure 
tumbled off, and he thought he had killed his> 
intended bride. 

He was frightened, and so were all the 
guests he had invited. They scrambled out 
of the hut, and the guests got away to their 
homes at their top speed. 

As for the rabbit, he was too scared to re- 
turn to his cabin. So he fixed up a new 
abode in another part of the woodland, and 
he did not eat any more cabbages in the 
woman’s garden. 


X 


WHAT THE STABS TOLD 

Long, long ago a party of hunters were re- 
turning from a forest to the Court of Naples. 
One of them was so proud that he would not 
ride with the others, but galloped on in front 
by himself. Night came, and, as he was a 
stranger, he lost his way. 

By and by he came to a peasant standing 
in the middle of the road, and he asked direc- 
tions of him. The peasant at once went with 
the hunter to a near hilltop, and pointed in 
the direction of Naples. 

The hunter, whose clothing showed him 
to be a person of high degree, thanked his 
guide, and said, ‘^Now, my man, what were 
you doing when I met you?’’ 

‘‘I was reading the stars,” the man re- 
el 


62 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


plied. baby boy bas just been bom in 
my home, and I would know what bis for- 
tune in life is to be. ’ ’ 

^‘And wbat did tbe stars tell you?’’ tbe 
bunter asked, laughing. 

^‘Tbey say that tbe child will be King of 
Spain,” tbe man answered. 

‘‘Wbat!” tbe huntsman exclaimed. “King 
of Spain? No less than that?” 

He spoke as if be thought such an idea 
was a good joke, but really be was not at aU 
pleased. For be, himself, was tbe King of 
Spain, who bad come to visit bis brother, tbe 
King of Naples. Wbat if tbe stars bad fore- 
told tbe truth? 

He was a very crafty man, and be said to 
tbe peasant: “If your son is to be king some 
day you are not fit to bring him up. You 
must give him to me. I am rich and of noble 
rank. He shall go to my home and be trained 
as a young prince.” 


WHAT THE STARS TOLD 63 

It was a dazzling offer, but the father 
thought, wife would never give her 

child to a stranger, and neither would 
I.’’ 

Then he said, ^‘Come with me, if you 
choose, and my wife shall answer you/’ 

They wall^ed back to the peasant’s cottage, 
and the matter was explained to the mother, 
but the hunter did not tell who he was. She 
refused his offer with indignation. 

Weeks and months passed, and still the 
stranger came from time to time coaxing and 
commanding the parents to give up the child. 
But he met with no better success than at 
first. The boy had been born with a mark 
on his right arm. It was a little royal 
crown. His parents were careful not to let 
the stranger see it or know of it lest he 
should long the more for their child. They 
little guessed the stranger’s evil inten- 
tions. 


64 BEDTIME WONDEE TALES 


One day the King of Spain hired a wicked 
man to go and steal the child. After loiter- 
ing about the cottage for a while in the dusk 
the man picked up the child while the moth- 
er ’s back was turned. The boy made no out- 
cry and the man got on his horse and was out 
of sight and hearing before the peasant’s 
wife missed her child. 

He rode till he came to a thick wood. His 
orders were to kill and bury the baby there, 
but when the little one smiled up in his face, 
pity entered the ruffian’s heart, and he said, 
am a wicked man, but I cannot kill a 
little child like that.” 

So he left him there, and brought back to 
the king a blood-stained garment, but the 
blood was that of a kid. 

buried the baby in the wood,” he said, 
to his cruel master. And, indeed, he had 
covered the sleeping child with leaves before 
he came away. 


WHAT THE STAES TOLD 65 


Then the King of Spain went back to his 
own country. ^‘Well, that’s settled,” he 
thought. ‘‘No base-born peasant shall sit 
on my throne.” 


XI 


DION THE WANDEREK 

Tb^ abandoned child slept and waked, and 
cried and slept again. At last the morning 
light woke him once more, and he threw off 
the leaves, played with them, and laughed 
aloud. 

While the baby was thus enjoying himself, 
a gentleman named Don Lovico was riding 
by on a fine horse. ^‘What is this? What 
is this?’’ he cried. Then he dismounted, 
picked up the child, and rode off with him 
in his arms. 

When he reached his home, which was at 
a great distance over the mountains, he said 
to his wife: ‘‘Here is a fine gift for 

you. We have no children, and if this baby 
66 


DION THE WANDERER 67 

boy is not claimed we will bring him tip as 
our own son.’’ 

His parents inquired everywhere if a 
young child, with the mark of a royal crown 
on its right arm, had been found. But the 
only trace they got of him was years after- 
ward. Then a wandering beggar told them 
a tale of how a dying friend of his had con- 
fessed to stealing a baby from their cottage, 
at the command of a rich stranger, and how 
he had left it in a thick wood. Bitterly 
did they regret that meeting with the 
stranger huntsman. 

The child’s new parents called him Dion, 
and he grew up under their care to be clever, 
handsome, and good-natured. He might 
have lived with them always, but one day a 
servant told him that instead of being Don 
Lovico’s son, as he supposed, he was a found- 
ling. 

Straightway he went to his foster-par- 


68 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


ents, and asked them if that was true. They 
confessed it was, but said they loved him as 
if he were their own. 

Nevertheless the news made him restless. 
He longed to cease living idly on Don Lo- 
vico’s estate and to go out into the world. 
‘‘Perhaps too,” he said, “I shall find my 
own father and mother, and let them know I 
did not die in the wood.” 

So he thanked Don Lovico and his wife 
for their care of him, and away he went. 
For many months he wandered without find- 
ing either fortune or his parents. He 
crossed mountains and traveled in strange 
lands, till he came to the kingdom of 
Spain. 

Hunger was his companion on the road, 
and though he was a willing lad, he found 
no work to do. Some said he was not old 
enough, and others said he looked like too 
fine a gentleman. At last, as he was peeping 


DION THE WANDERER 69 

tlirougli the bars of a gate, one evening, he 
saw a gardener watering flowers. 

‘‘What do you want?” the gardener 
asked. 

“I am hungry,” Dion told him. “If 
you’ll give me something to eat, I’ll help you 
with your work to-morrow.” 

“Well, it happens that I am in need of a 
lad just now,” the gardener said. “You 
shall have food and wages too. This is the 
garden of the King of Spain, and if you 
work hard, you will get on very well here.” 

So Dion became the gardener’s helper. 
He had plenty to eat, and he sang and 
whistled at his work all day long. At length 
he attracted the attention of the king — the 
very same wicked king who had tried to have 
him killed when he was a child, but of this 
Dion knew nothing. 

The boy had good manners, and he was ac- 
tive and handsome. So one day the king 


70 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


said to him, ‘‘I want you to wait on me and 
be my servant in the palace.” 

Then Dion left the garden and the garden- 
er’s cottage, and went to the palace to wait 
on the king. The work was light, and he had 
spare time which he used in improving him- 
self in all the knightly exercises he had 
learned at Don Lovico’s. 

Occasionally he was asked to attend the 
beautiful young Drusa, the king’s only 
daughter. He brought her flowers from the 
garden, and sang to her, and they grew to 
love each other very much. The king paid 
no attention to wKat they said or did at first. 
He thought that Dion, who had been a mere 
gardener’s boy, would not aspire to his 
daughter’s hand. 

But when he observed them more closely 
he concluded there was more affection be- 
tween the two than could be tolerated. So 
he hurried Drusa off to her uncle, the King 


DION THE WANDERER 71 


of Naples, with orders that she was to be 
sent to school in a convent. 

A fortnight later he called Dion to him, 
and said: ‘^You would like to see Drusa 
again, would you not? I have a letter to 
send to my brother, the King of Naples. 
You shall be its bearer.” 

Young Dion set out on his errand with a 
light heart, never for a moment guessing 
that the letter he carried contained an order 
to the King of Naples to hang the bearer 
without delay. As luck would have it, when 
he was near his journey’s end, he was shown 
a short cut to Naples through some woods. 
In this woodland, who should he find strol- 
ling on the very path he had taken but Drusa 
and her governess ? 

What a joyful meeting that was for the 
lad and the maiden! The governess, who 
liked and trusted Dion, did nothing to chill 
the happiness of the two. 


72 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Presently Drusa said, ‘^Now tell me what 
brings you here.’’ 

carry a letter from your father to your 
uncle,” he responded. ‘‘Perhaps you had 
better take me to the palace that I may de- 
liver it.” 

Drusa, who knew quite well how angry her 
father was with Dion, suspected mischief 
in the letter. “You need not deliver it just 
yet, ’ ’ she said. “No, no, not yet, I beg you. ’ ’ 

Then she told him of a great tournament 
that was soon to be held in Naples. Who- 
ever should prove himself to be the brav- 
est and most skilful knight for three days 
was to marry the Princess Drusa. 

“Think what my sorrow has been since I 
heard this, ’ ’ she sighed. ‘ ‘ But you shall en- 
ter the lists and see what you can do. Enter 
as a stranger, and do not tell your name. 
Keep the letter till the jousting is over. If 
there should be any blame for doing so, let 


DION THE WANDEEER 


73 


it be on my head. I will see that a horse 
is placed at your service, and you can busy 
yourself practicing feats of arms till the 
tournament begins. Meanwhile live quietly 
and obscurely. Not far from here is the 
cottage of an old peasant and his wife. They 
are good friends of my governess, and they 
will take you in, if she asks them.” 

Dion went to the cottage, and was well re- 
ceived by the old couple. They both felt 
a great affection for him from the very first 
moment, and they were much interested 
when he told them he had come there from 
Spain. 


XII 


THE TOIJEN AMENT 

Now it became known at the king’s court 
that a Spanish stranger was to enter for the 
great prize of the three days’ tournament. 
He was sent for by the council who were ar- 
ranging the affair. 

‘‘Are you a knight?” they asked. 

“No,” he replied, “but I have been thor- 
oughly trained in knightly exercises.” 

“That will not do,” they told him; and he 
went to Drusa in despair. 

“If you are not a knight, a king’s daugh- 
ter can make you one,” she said. 

So she had him kneel before her, and then 
bade him rise up a knight in the service of 
the Princess Drusa of Spain. 

74 


THE TOURNAMENT 


75 


Dion, the knight, went to the tournament, 
and for two days was victor. But it was 
whispered that a certain competitor had not 
yet shown his full strength and skill. He 
was said to be reserving himself for the third 
day, and was reputed to be one of the won- 
ders of the world — a doughty champion, al- 
together unconquerable. The talk of the 
city was that, brave and capable as Dion had 
proved himself, he would be as chaff before 
the fury of the champion’s onslaught the 
next day. 

This chatter reached Dion’s ears, and he 
returned to the peasant’s cottage somewhat 
after nightfall very much disheartened over 
his prospects. 

Earlier that evening the old man had said 
to the old woman, ^^Wife, I have a mind to 
go out and read the stars.” 

^‘The stars are liars,” the old woman de- 
clared. 


76 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

‘‘The stars cannot lie/’ her husband said, 
“but I may read them wrong.” 

Then he went out and looked up at the 
spangled sky. Once more he read in the 
stars that his son should be King of Spain. 

“Alas, alasP’ the old man cried, “but I 
have no son.” 

He went into the cottage and told his wife, 
and they wept together, for they had never 
ceased to mourn the child they had lost 
twenty years before. 

“Now you must own that the stars do lie,” 
the woman said. 

At that moment their guest came in, weary 
after the day’s contest, and dispirited about 
the morrow. They attended to his wants, 
and when he was refreshed he asked them 
why they had been weeping. 

“We were thinking of our son whom we 
lost when he was a baby, twenty years ago,” 
the woman answered. 


THE TOUENAMENT 77 

*‘How did that happen?” the young man 
inquired. 

Then they told him of the meeting with 
the strayed huntsman, who was evidently 
some person of high degree, and of the evil 
that resulted. ‘‘We have heard that he 
hired a man to steal and kill our child,” the 
old peasant said, “but that the villain left 
the baby alive in the woods. No doubt the 
little one was either devoured by wild beasts 
or perished of hunger.” 

“That is strange,” Dion commented. 
“Twenty years ago I was picked up, a help- 
less babe, in the woods by a good gentleman, 
who treated me afterward as his own son. 
Tell me, if your son were alive, how would 
you know him?” 

“He had the mark of a royal crown on 
his right arm!” the old woman cried excit- 
edly. 

The young man plucked up his sleeve and 


78 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


showed the mark, larger now and more dis- 
tinct. Then there was great joy in the cot- 
tage. They embraced and mingled their 
tears. But soon the father was again sor- 
rowful. 

‘‘Alas! dear son,’’ he said, “we get you 
back only to lose you. We are humble folk, 
and you are destined to be the King of 
Spain.” 

“The King of Spain!” he repeated. 
“What are you thinking of? I am more 
likely to be a beggar. I have deeply of- 
fended the King of Spain, and tomorrow, 
without his knowledge, I am going to fight 
the champion of the world to win the Prin- 
cess Drusa. I love her well, but I shall cer- 
tainly be defeated. What will become of me 
then I do not know. At any rate I have 
found my parents, and will be a dutiful son. 
While I am able to work for you, you shall 
never want.” 


THE TOURNAMENT 


79 


^^Why do you talk of defeat?” kis mother 
said. ‘‘Defeat for you is impossible. This 
very night the stars have foretold that you 
are going to be King of Spain.” 

“The stars said the same thing on the 
night you were born,” his father added. 

So Dion went to the tournament next day 
with a heart full of courage, and he un- 
horsed the champion of the world every time. 

Then the King of Naples sent for the vic- 
tor and said : “You have won a great prize. 
Here is the Princess Drusa, who is to be your 
wife. I will write to my brother, the King 
of Spain, that he has a fine brave son-in- 
law.” 

“I am a messenger from the King of 
Spain,” Dion said, and took from his pocket 
the letter he had brought. 

The King of Naples broke the seal and 
read the letter with a darkening brow. 
“What is this?” he cried. “Who are you? 


80 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


My brother orders me to have you hanged. 
What crime have you co m mitted ? But 
whoever you are or whatever you have done, 
my word to you is pledged. I will place you 
under guard until I see my brother of 
Spain.’’ 

‘‘Marriage first, uncle,” Drusa said. “A 
crowned king may not break his word. 
After we are wedded we will go to prison 
together, if need be. Does my lover look 
like a criminal?” 

Just then Don Lovico appeared, and 
stepped forward. “No one shall say that 
youth is a criminal in my presence!” the 
noble exclaimed. “He is Dion, my foster- 
son.” 

“Don Lovico! Don Lovico!” the young 
man cried, throwing himself into the gentle- 
man’s arms. 

Then there were explanations and relat- 
ing of adventures ; and lo ! as they talked, a 


THE TOURNAMENT 


81 


messenger from Spain arrived, dressed in 
mourning. He came to say that the king 
of his country was dead, that the king had 
repented of his harshness, and that if his 
servant Dion were still alive he was to be set 
free. 

So Dion married the princess, and they 
went back to Spain, where Dion was 
crowned. One of the first things he did was 
to build a high tower, in which his father 
could sit and read the stars. By their aid 
the old peasant foretold many events, and 
the king, his son, was thus able to take steps 
that again and again saved his country from 
misfortune. 


XIII 


A CLEYEK EAT 

Once upon a time a fat sleek rat was caught 
in a shower. He was far from shelter; so 
he set to work and soon had dug a nice hole 
in which he sat very comfortably protected 
while the raindrops splashed outside, and 
made puddles in the road. 

During his digging he had pawed out a 
fine bit of root, quite dry and fit for fuel. 
He put it aside carefully in order to take it 
home with him. When the shower was over, 
he set off with the dry root in his mouth. 

As he went along, daintily picking his way 
among the puddles, he saw a poor man vain- 
ly trying to light a fire, while a little circle 

of children stood close by crying piteously. 
82 


A CLEVER RAT 


83 


‘^Goodness gracious!” the rat exclaimed, 
^‘how those young ones do squall.” He was 
both soft-hearted and curious, and he went 
to the man and asked, ‘‘What is the matter 

“The children are hungry,” the man re- 
plied. ‘ ‘ They are crying for their breakfast. 
I am trying to make a fire so I can bake some 
bread for them, but the sticks are damp 
and won’t burn.” 

“If that is all your trouble, perhaps I can 
help you,” the good-natured rat said. 
“Here is a dry root which I am sure will 
soon make a fine blaze.” 

The poor man thanked him again and 
again as he took the dry root. In a little 
while he had a brisk fire burning, and then 
he baked the bread. He presented the rat 
with one little loaf as a reward for his kind- 
ness. 

“What a lucky fellow I am?” the rat said, 
as he trotted off gayly with his prize. 


84 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


^‘Eancy making a bargain like that! I’ve 
got food enough to last me five days in re- 
turn for a rotten old stick. W ah ! wah ! wah ! 
What a fine thing it is to have brains!” 

He lugged his loaf along till he came to 
a potter’s yard. The potter had left his 
wheel to spin round by itself and was trying 
to pacify his three little children who were 
screaming as if they would burst. 

^<My gracious!” the rat cried, stopping 
his ears, ‘ ^ that ’s a dreadful noise. Mr. Man, 
do tell me what it is all about.” 

‘^They are hungry,” the potter said rue- 
fully. There is no fiour in the house, and 
their mother has gone to the market to get 
some. In the meantime I can neither work 
nor rest because of them.” 

‘‘Well, I can help you,” the rat told him. 
“Take this loaf of bread, and stop their 
mouths with it.” 

The potter overwhelmed the rat with 


A CLEVEE EAT 


85 


thanks for Ms generosity. Then he chose a 
nice well-burnt pipkin, and insisted on the 
rat’s accepting it as a remembrance. 

The rat was delighted at the exchange, and, 
though the pipkin was a trifle awkward for 
him to manage, he Anally succeeded in bal- 
ancing it on his head. That done, he went 
gingerly down the road, tink-a-tink, tink-a- 
tink, with Ms tail over his arm for fear he 
would trip on it. 

And all the time he kept saying to himself : 

What a lucky fellow I am ! and clever, too ! 
Such a hand at a bargain!” 

By and by he came to some herders taking 
care of their cattle. One of them had pulled 
off his shoes and was milking a cow into 
them. 

‘‘Oh, fie! oh, fie!” the rat cried, quite 
shocked at the sight. “What a dirty trick! 
Why don’t you use a pail?” 

“For the best of all reasons — ^we haven’t 


86 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


one,’’ the herder growled. He didn’t con- 
sider it any of the rat’s business. 

you haven’t a pail, oblige me by using 
this pipkin,” the dainty rat said. 

The herder was quite willing. He took 
the pipkin and milked into it till it was brim- 
ming full. Then he turned to the rat, who 
stood looking on, and said, ‘‘Here, little fel- 
low, you can have a drink in payment.” 

But if the rat was good-natured he was 
also shrewd. “No, no, my friend,” he said, 
“that will not do. As if I could drink the 
worth of my pipkin at a draft! My dear 
sir, I never make a bad bargain. I expect 
you to give me the cow you were milking.” 

“Nonsense!” the man exclaimed; “a cow 
for a pipkin! Who ever heard of such a 
price? And what on earth could you do 
with a cow if you had one ? Why, the pip- 
kin was about as much as you could man- 
age.” 


A CLEVER RAT 


87 


At tins tlie rat drew himself up with dig- 
nity, for he did not like allusions to his size. 
^‘That is my affair, not yours,’’ he retorted. 
‘‘Your business is to hand over the cow.” 


xrv 


TWO COACHMElSr DINE 

Just for tlie fun of the thing, and to amuse 
themselves at the rat’s expense, the herders 
tied a string to the cow’s horns and began 
to tie the other end to the rat’s tail. 

‘‘No, no!” he called in a great hurry, “if 
the beast pulled, the skin of my tail would 
be taken right off. Tie the string round 
my neck if you please.” 

So with much laughter the herders tied the 
string round the rat’s neck. Then the rat 
took a polite leave of them, and started off 
gayly toward home with his prize. That is, 
he started off with the string, for no sooner 
did he come to the end of the tether than he 
was brought to a sudden stop. 

The cow, nose down, kept grazing, and 
88 


TWO COACHMEN DINE 


89 


would not budge until she bad finished her 
tuft of grass. Then she saw another in a 
different direction, and marched off toward 
it, while the rat, to avoid being dragged, had 
to trot humbly behind, willy-nilly. 

He was too proud to confess the truth, and 
he nodded his head knowingly to the herders, 
saying: ‘‘Ta-ta, good people! I am going 
home this way. It may take longer, but it’s 
pleasanter.” 

Then the herders roared with laughter. 
The rat, however, took no notice, but trotted 
on, looking as dignified as possible. 

After all,” he reasoned to himself, if I 
keep a cow I must look after her grazing. A 
beast needs to get a good stomach full of 
grass if she is to give milk, and I have plenty 
of time at my disposal.” 

So all day long he trotted about following 
the cow, making believe. He was dreadfully 
tired by evening, and felt truly thankful 


90 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


when the great beast had eaten enough and 
lay down under a tree to chew her cud. 

Just then a coach stopped under the tree. 
Inside was a bride on her way to meet the 
bridegroom and be married. Outside were 
two attendants. They got down, made a 
fire, and began to cook some food. 

‘‘What detestable meanness!” one 
grumbled. “A grand wedding, and noth- 
ing given us to eat on our journey but plain 
rice stew! Not a scrap of meat in it! 
’Twould serve the skinflints right if we up- 
set the bride into a ditch.” 

The rat saw a way out of his difficulty, 
and he exclaimed; “Dear me! that is a 
shame. I sympathize so fully with your 
feelings that I will give you my cow. You 
can kill and cook her.” 

“Your cow!” the discontented coachman 
cried; “what rubbish! Whoever heard of a 
rat owning a cow?” 


TWO COACHMEN DINE 


91 


‘‘Not often, I admit,” the rat said. “But 
look for yourselves. Can you not see with 
your own eyes that I am leading the beast 
by a string?” 

“Oh, never mind the string!” one of the 
hungry coachmen said. “Whether you own 
the cow or not, I intend to have meat with 
my rice.” 

Then he and his companion killed the 
cow, and cooked her flesh. They ate their 
supper with relish. Afterward they offered 
the remains to the rat, saying carelessly, 
“That is for you.” 

“Look here!” the rat cried hotly, “you 
don’t suppose I’m going to let you have my 
best cow that gave quarts and quarts of milk 
— the cow I have been feeding all day — for 
what is left after you two big lubbers have 
eaten all you could hold. No ! — I got a loaf 
for a bit of stick ; I got a pipkin for the loaf ; 
I got a cow for the pipkin ; and now I’ll have 


92 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


the bride for my cow — ^the bride, and noth- 
ing else.’’ 

The coachmen began to reflect on what 
they had done, and they became so alarmed 
at the consequences that they concluded they 
had better escape while they could. So they 
left the bride in the coach and took to their 
heels. 


XV 


A PRINCESSES TROUBLES 

After the coachmen had run away, the rat 
went to the coach, and with the sweetest of 
voices and best of bows begged the bride to 
descend. She hardly knew whether to 
laugh or cry. But any company, even a 
rat’s, was better than being alone in the wil- 
derness. So she got out of the coach, and 
followed the rat, who set off as fast as he 
could for his hole. 

As he trotted along with the lovely young 
bride, whose rich dress and glittering jewels 
made it evident that she was some king’s 
daughter, he said to himself : ^^How clever 
I am! What bargains I do make, to be 
sure!” 

When they arrived at his hole, the rat 

93 


94 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


stepped forward with the greatest politeness, 
and said: ^‘Welcome, madam, to my humble 
abode! Pray step in, or, as the passage is 
somewhat dark, I will show you the way, if 
you will allow me.’’ 

Thereupon he ran in, but he was soon 
aware that she had not followed. Then he 
put his nose out and said testily: ‘‘Well, 
madam, why don’t you enter? Don’t you 
know it is rude to keep your husband wait- 
ing?” 

“My good sir,” the handsome young 
bride said with a laugh, “I can’t squeeze into 
that little hole!” 

The rat coughed. Then, after a moment’s 
thought, he remarked: “There is some 
sense in your response. You are certainly 
overgrown, and I suppose I shall have to 
build you a thatched hut somewhere. To- 
night you can rest under that wild plum tree 
behind you.” 


A PEINCESS’S TROUBLES 95 


am hungry/’ the bride said. 

^‘Dear, dear!” everybody seems hungry 
today, ’ ’ the rat exclaimed pettishly. ^ ‘ How- 
ever, I’ll fetch you some supper in a trice. 

He ran down into his hole, and returned 
promptly with an ear of millet and a dry 
pea. 

<< There!” he said triumphantly, ‘‘isn’t 
that a nice meal?” 

“I can’t eat such stuff,” the bride ob- 
jected. “I want rice stew and eggs and 
cakes and candy. I shall die if I don’t get 
them.” 

“Mercy!” the rat cried in a rage, “what 
a nuisance a bride is! Why don’t you eat 
the wild plums?” 

“I can’t live on wild plums,” the bride 
declared, weeping. “Nobody could. Be- 
sides, they are only half ripe, and I can’t 
reach them.” 

‘ ‘ Rubbish ! ” the rat cried ; ‘ ‘ ripe or unripe, 


96 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


they must do for you tonight. In the morn- 
ing you can gather a basketful and sell them 
in the city. With the money you get you 
can buy eggs and candy to your heart’s con- 
tent.” 

When morning came, the rat climbed the 
plum tree, and nibbled away at the fruit 
stems till the plums fell down into the bride’s 
veil. Then, unripe as they were, she carried 
them to the city, and called out through the 
streets — 

‘‘Green plums I sell! Green plums I sell; 
I’m princess and rat’s bride as well!” 

She passed by the palace, and her voice 
was heard by the queen, her mother, who 
ran out and recognized her. Then there 
were great rejoicings, for every one thought 
the poor bride had been eaten by wild 
beasts. 

In the midst of the feasting and merri- 


A PRINCESS’S TROUBLES 97 


ment, the rat, who had become alarmed at 
the long absence of the princess, arrived at 
the palace door. He beat against it with a 
stout knobby stick, shouting fiercely : ‘ ‘ Give 
me my wife! Give me my wife. She is 
mine by fair bargain. I gave a stick and I 
got a loaf. I gave the loaf and I got a pip- 
kin. I gave the pipkin and I got a cow. I 
gave the cow and I got a bride. Give me 
my wife! Give me my wife!” 

The queen called out through the door: 
^‘For goodness’ sake! son-in-law, what a 
fuss you make, and all about nothing. Who 
wants to prevent you from joining your 
wife? We are proud to see you, and only 
keep you waiting at the door till we can 
receive you in style.” 

On hearing this the rat was molified and 
waited patiently outside while the cunning 
old queen prepared for his reception. This 
she did by cutting a hole in the middle of a 


98 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


stool, putting a red-hot stone underneath, 
covering it with a stewpan lid, and spread- 
ing a beautiful embroidered cloth over all. 

Then she went to the door and welcomed 
the rat with the greatest respect. He came 
in, and she led him to the stool. ^‘Pray be 
seated,” she said. 

^‘How clever I am!” he thought, as he 
climbed onto the stool. ‘‘What bargains I 
do make, to be sure ! Here I am son-in-law 
to a real live queen. What will my neigh- 
bors say?” 

At first he sat on the edge of the stool, but 
even there it was warm, and he soon began 
to fidget. ‘ ‘ Dear me, mother-in-law, how hot 
your house is I” he said. 

“A nice breeze comes through the window 
near you,” she responded. “Sit more in 
the middle of the stool so the breeze will cool 
you.” 

He moved as she suggested, but he did not 


A PEINCESS’S TEOUBLBS 99 


stay to be cooled by tbe breeze, for be would 
have been frizzled on tbe stewpan lid. Wbat 
be did was to escape in all baste, vowing 
that never, never again would be make a bar- 
gain. 


XVI 


NIMBLE LABS 

There was once a young duke who belonged 
to a very grand family, and whose dwelling 
was one of the finest, yet he was not content 
to stay at home. Instead, he went off to see 
the world. 

Wherever he traveled, he was well liked, 
and was received in the best and gayest fami- 
lies. But he kept on spending his money 
until his purse had not even a farthing left in 
it; and that made an end to his friends as 
well. They had all been very willing to help 
him get rid of his money, yet now he could 
not obtain aid from any one of them. So 
there was nothing he could do except to 
trudge home, and beg for crusts on the way. 

Late one evening he came to a great for- 
100 


NIMBLE LARS 101 

est. He did not know where he could find 
shelter for the night, but he kept on search- 
ing till he caught sight of an old tumble- 
down hut among some bushes. This was not 
by any means satisfactory to so fine a cava- 
lier. However, when you cannot get what 
you want, you must take what you can 
get. 

He went into the hut. Evidently it had 
not been lived in for a long time, and it was 
perfectly bare of furniture except for a big 
chest alongside the wall. What could there 
be in that chest ? He hoped there was a lit- 
tle food in it, for he had eaten nothing the 
whole day, and his stomach was aching with 
emptiness. 

When he lifted the lid he found another 
chest inside. He lifted the lid of that, and 
still another chest was revealed. He kept 
on opening chests and finding one a size 
smaller each time. The more there were the 


102 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


harder lie worked, for lie felt sure he would 
finally be rewarded with something very fine, 
it was so well hidden. 

At last he came to a tiny box, and in this 
box lay a bit of paper. That was all he got 
for his trouble. He was very much an- 
noyed. 

Then he observed that something was writ- 
ten on the paper. ‘‘Hm-m!’’ he said, just 
two words that have no significance what- 
ever — ‘Nimble Lars.’ ” 

But the moment he spoke these words 
somebody asked, “What are my master’s or- 
ders?” 

He looked around, but saw no one. ‘ ‘ This 
is very funny,” he said, and again he read 
the words aloud, “Nimble Lars.” 

The response came as before, “What are 
my master’s orders?” 

He saw no one this time either, and he 
said, “If there is anybody in this hut who 


NIMBLE LARS 103: 

hears what I say, I wish that person would 
be kind enough to bring me some food.’’ 

The next moment a table, bountifully 
laden with good things to eat, stood before 
him. He sat down at it on one of the chests, 
and as he ate and drank thought he had never 
before enjoyed himself so much in his life. 

When he finished he took out the paper 
and read the words once more — Nimble 
Lars.” 

‘‘What are my master’s orders?” the 
voice asked. 

“Well,” he responded, “you have given 
me food and drink, and now you must get 
me a bed. I am sleepy.” 

There it stood — a bed so fine and dainty 
that even the king himself might have 
coveted it. The duke was greatly pleased, 
but when he got into it, he began to think 
that the room was altogether too wretched 
for such a grand bed. 


104 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


Again he took out the paper, and said, 
‘‘Nimble Lars.” 

“What are my master’s orders?” the 
voice asked. 

He answered : “Since you are able to get 
me such food and such a bed here in the 
midst of the wild forest, I suppose you can 
manage to get me a better room. You see 
I am used to sleeping in a palace, with gold- 
en mirrors, and draperies, and comforts of 
all kinds. 

No sooner had he spoken than he found 
himself lying in the grandest chamber any- 
body had ever seen. Now he felt quite satis- 
fied, and he closed his eyes and slept. 

When he got up in the morning he was 
surprised to find that he had not only the 
chamber in which he had spent the night, 
but an entire palace. He wandered from 
one room to another, discovering everywhere 
all sorts of finery and luxuries. 


NIMBLE LARS 


105 


Then he happened to glance out of a win- 
dow. Good gracious! there was something 
else than pine forest and juniper bushes to 
look at. He saw as splendid a garden as 
any one could wish for with graceful trees 
and all kinds of roses. But neither indoors 
nor out did he see a single human being or 
even a cat. 

He felt lonely, and took out the piece of 
paper. ^‘Nimble Lars,^’ he said; and the 
voice ask, ^‘What are my master’s orders?” 

‘‘You have given me food, a bed, and a 
palace, ’ ’ he remarked. ‘ ‘ The place suits me, 
and I intend to stay here. But I must have 
servants to wait on me.” 

Instantly there they were — stewards and 
chambermaids and all the rest standing be- 
fore him, the men and boys bowing, and the 
women and girls curtsying. Now the 
duke was confident that he had everything 
he wanted. 


XVII 


THE DTJKE^S PALACE 

It happened that the palace of the king who 
owned the forest was not far away on the 
woodland borders. That morning, as his 
Majesty was walking np and down in his 
room, he looked out and glimpsed through 
the trees the roofs of the grand new palace 
surmounted with golden weathercocks that 
were swinging to and fro in the breeze. 

‘‘This is very strange,’’ he thought, and 
he called his courtiers who came hurrying 
in, bowing and scraping. 

“Do you see a palace over there?” the 
king asked. 

They began to stare with wide open eyes. 

Yes, of course they saw it. 

106 


THE DUKE’S PALACE 107 


‘‘Who has dared to build a palace on 
property?” the king demanded. 

They did not know anything about it. 
Then he summoned his generals and cap- 
tains. They came, stood to attention, and 
presented arms. 

“Officers,” he said, “go with your soldiers 
and troopers and pull down that palace over 
there. Also hang the wretch who built it. 
Make haste!” 

They were soon on their way riding ahead 
of their soldiers and troopers, who were well 
provided with weapons and tools. The 
drummers beat their drums, and the trum- 
peters blew their trumpets, and the duke 
heard them long before he could see them. 

He took out his scrap of paper and said, 
“Nimble Lars.” 

“What are my master’s orders?” the 
voice asked. 

‘ ‘ I hear soldiers coming, ’ ’ he said. “You 


108 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


must provide me with double their number, 
and see that they have swords and pistols, 
and guns and cannon. There’s no time to 
lose; so be quick about it.” 

He went to a window, and looked out, and 
there were his soldiers drawn up in orderly 
array around the palace. When the king’s 
men approached they came to a sudden halt. 
They dared not advance, and the duke went 
to their commander and asked what he 
wanted. 

The commander told his errand, and the 
duke said: ‘‘You see you can do nothing. 
If the king will listen to me, we shall become 
good friends, and I will help him against his 
enemies.” 

This seemed to the commander the proper 
solution of the difficulty, and the duke in- 
vited him and his soldiers into the palace 
where all were served with plenty of good 
things to eat and drink. 


THE DUKE^S PALACE 109 

During the feasting there was much talk- 
ing, and the duke learned that the king had 
a daughter who was his only child, and who 
was wonderfully fair and beautiful. The 
more the king’s men ate and drank, the more 
they thought she would suit the duke for a 
wife. As he listened to them he began to 
think so himself. 

‘^But we warn you,” they said, ‘Hhat she 
is just as proud as she is beautiful, and it 
will be no easy matter to win her.” 

After the soldiers had eaten and drank 
as much as they could find room for, they 
shouted, ^‘Hurrah!” so that it echoed among 
the hills. Then they set off homeward. But 
they did not walk exactly in parade order; 
for they were rather unsteady about the 
knees, and many of them did not carry their 
guns in the regulation manner. 

The duke had asked them to greet the king 
from him and to say that he would call on 


110 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


him the following day. When he was alone 
again, he thought of the princess and won- 
dered if she was as beautiful as they made 
her out to be. He would like to make sure 
of it. 

So he called for Nimble Lars and said, 
^^As soon as the king’s daughter is asleep 
this night take me to her room that I may 
see her ; and be very quiet about it so we will 
not wake her.” 

His order was obeyed, and he certainly 
thought the princess looked wonderfully 
beautiful. Yes, she was as sweet as sugar, 
I can tell you. The more he looked the 
more he liked her, and when he was whisked 
back to his palace he said, will ask for 
her hand tomorrow.” 

The king’s soldiers had returned to his 
Majesty’s palace rather late in the day, and 
they concluded not to report until the morn- 
ing. So when the king rose he was unaware 


THE DUKE’S PALACE 111 

that his expedition had not accomplished its 
purpose. 

suppose I shall not be troubled with 
the sight of that palace any more,” he said. 
But, zounds! he looked out, and there it 
stood just as on the day before, and the sun 
shone on the roof and the golden weather- 
cocks. 

He became furious and called his cour- 
tiers. They came quicker than usual, and 
bowed and scraped. 

^‘Do you see the palace there*?” the king 
screamed. 

They stretched their necks, and stared and 
gaped. Yes, of course they saw it. 

‘^Have I not ordered that it should be 
pulled down and its builder hung*?” he de- 
manded. 

Yes, they could not deny that. 

Just then the commander of the expedi- 
tion came in. He reported what had hap- 


112 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


pened, and how many soldiers the duke had, 
and how wonderfully grand the palace was, 
and how the duke had sent his greetings to 
the king. 

The latter felt quite confused. He had to 
put his crown on the table and scratch his 
head. While he sat there pondering, the 
princess came into the room and joined him. 
Then they heard an approaching din of 
drums, trumpets, and other instruments. 

Soon a messenger informed the king that 
the duke had arrived with a large and richly 
dressed company. So the king put on his 
crown and his coronation robes, and went out 
on the steps to receive them. The princess 
followed him. 

The duke bowed most graciously, and the 
king did likewise, and when they had talked 
a while about their affairs and their gran- 
deur they became the best of friends. A great 
banquet was prepared, and the duke was 


THE DUKE’S PALACE 


113 


placed next to the princess at the table. She 
found him so fine and handsome, and he 
spoke so well for himself that she could not 
very well say ^^No” to anything he said. 

Then he went to the king and asked for her 
hand, and the king could not very weU say 
^‘No” either; for he could see that the duke 
was a person with whom it was best to be on 
friendly terms. 

The wedding took place in grand style not 
long afterward. This was followed by a 
great feast at the duke’s palace, and then 
life went on for some time so smoothly that 
it seemed likely to go on that way forever. 


XVIII 


A SCKAP OF PAPER 

One evening tlie duke heard the voice of 
Nimble Lars asking, ‘^Are you satisfied 
now?” 

‘‘Well, I ought to be,” the duke replied. 
“You have provided me with everything I 
possess.” 

“Yes, and what have I got in return?” 
Lars said. 

“Nothing,” the duke answered. “But, 
bless me ! what could I have given you whom 
I have never seen? If there is anything I 
can do for you, tell me what it is, and I shall 
doit.” 

“Well,” Lars said, “Twould like that lit- 
tle scrap of paper you found in the chest.” 
“Is that all?” the duke remarked. “I 

114 


A SCRAP OF PAPER 115 

can easily do without it, for I know the 
words on it by heart. ’ ’ 

‘^Put it on the chair in front of your bed 
when you retire,’’ Lars said. will get it 
during the night.” 

The duke did as he was told. Early in the 
morning he awoke, feeling so cold that his 
teeth chattered. He looked aroimd and 
found that instead of being in a grand bed 
in a magnificent palace, he lay on the big 
chest in the tumble-down hut. His cloth- 
ing was the same shabby suit he wore when 
he first sought shelter there. 

He began to shout, ‘^Nimble Lars!” but 
got no answer. 

It was soon clear to him how matters stood. 
When Lars got the scrap of paper he was 
freed from service, and he had taken all 
his gifts with him. 

The princess fared just as the duke had. 
She was there in the hut with him clad in 


116 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


some of the garments she wore in her fa- 
ther’s palace. 

He explained everything to her, and asked 
her to leave him. But she would not hear of 
it. She well remembered what the parson 
had said when he married them, and she 
would never, never leave him, she declared. 

Meanwhile the king in his palace had also 
awakened. He looked out of the window 
and saw no sign whatever of the palace 
where his daughter and son-in-law lived. He 
became uneasy, as you may imagine, and 
called his courtiers. They came in, and be- 
gan to bow and scrape. 

‘‘Do you see the palace over yonder in the 
forest?” he asked. 

They stretched their necks and stared 
with all their might No, they did not see 
it. 

Where has it gone to then?” the king 
asked. 


A SCRAP OP PAPER 117 

really, we do not know,’’ they re- 
plied. 

Soon the king set out with all his court 
through the forest. When he arrived at the 
spot where the beautiful palace and garden 
should have been, he could see nothing but 
pine trees and juniper bushes and a tumble- 
down hut. He entered the hut, and there 
stood his son-in-law in travel- worn clothing, 
and his daughter weeping. 

‘‘Mercy! what does all this mean?” the 
king asked. 

But neither the duke nor the princess 
would answer. At last the king became 
angry. He was convinced that the duke was 
not what he pretended to be, and he ordered 
him to be hanged without any loss of time. 

The princess begged her father to spare 
him, but her tears and prayers did not avail. 
A gallows was erected, and a rope placed 
around his neck. But while the gallows was 


118 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


being prepared, tbe princess had got hold of 
the hangman and his assistant and given 
them some money to so manage the hanging 
of the duke that he would not lose his life. 
In the night they were to cut him down, and 
he and the princess would secretly get away 
out of the country. 

The hanging was managed as she desired, 
and the king and his court and all the people 
left the forest. The duke had plenty of time 
to reflect now. If he could only get hold of 
the scrap of paper he had let Lars have, all 
would be right again. 

‘‘Ah, well, ah well!” he sighed; and he 
dangled his legs, which was really all he 
could do. 

The day passed slowly and tediously for 
him, and the sun sank low behind the forest. 
'Just then he heard a loud shouting and saw 
a cartload of worn-out shoes coming. On 
top of the load was perched a little old man 



Nimble Lars and his cartload of old shoes 











« 



J 






% 






^ . 



¥ 


I 

% 







I 


I 

A 


I 


^ t • t 




9 



\ 






• . 




tfc ^ 

* * " t 

. .V 




i 


A SCRAP OF PAPER 119 

in gray clothes, and with a red pointed cap 
on his head. 

It did not seem best to the duke to let any 
one think the hanging had been a failure, and 
he pretended to be lifeless. 

The little old man drove straight to the 
gallows, and when he arrived under it he 
stopped and looked up at the duke. ‘‘How 
stupid you were he said laughing. “Yes, 
there you are hanging, and here am I carting 
away all the shoes I have worn out for your 
whims. I wonder if you recognize this bit 
of paper, and can read what is written on 
it.’’ 

He laughed again, and held the paper up 
before the duke’s eyes. But this time it was 
Lars who was befooled. 

The duke made a clutch, snatched the 
paper away from him, and shouted, “Nimble 
Lars!” 

Lars vanished from sight, but his voice 


120 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


asked humbly, ‘^What are my master’s or- 
ders?” 

^‘You must cut me down from the gal- 
lows,” the duke said, ‘^put my palace and 
everything else back in place, and bring the 
princess here.” 

All went merrily as in a dance, and before 
long all things were as they had been before 
Lars went off with the scrap of paper. 


XIX 


A. PUZZLING SITUATION 

When tlie king awoke the next morning he 
looked out of the window, as was his custom, 
and there stood the palace again with the 
weathercocks glittering in the sunshine. Ha 
called his courtiers, and they began to bow 
and scrape. ‘‘Do you see that palace oyer 
there?” he asked. 

They stretched their necks as far as they 
could, and stared and gaped. Yes, of course 
they did. 

The king sent for the princess, but she was 
not to be found. He took off his crown and 
scratched his head. But that did not 
enlighten him. He could make no sense out 
of affairs. 

So he set off through the forest with all his 
121 


122 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


court. The gallows had disappeared, and 
there was the palace, sure enough. The 
garden and the roses were exactly as they 
used to be, and the duke’s servants were 
everywhere busy. His son-in-law and his 
daughter received him on the steps, dressed 
in their finest clothes. 

‘^Well, I never saw the like of this,” the 
king thought ; and he could scarcely believe 
his own eyes. 

‘^Welcome, and peace be with you,” the 
duke said. 

The king stood staring at him. ‘‘Are you 
my son-in-law?” he asked. 

“Well, I suppose I am,” the duke an- 
swered. “Who else should I be?” 

“Did I not order you to be hanged yester- 
day like any common thief?” the king 
inquired. 

“You must have been bewitched, ’ ’ the duke' 
said with a laugh. “Do you think I am a 


A PUZZLING SITUATION 123 


man to let myself be banged ? Is there any 
one here who dares to believe such a thing?’’ 
And he looked fiercely at the courtiers. 

They bowed and scraped and cringed 
before him. We have more sense than that, 
we should hope,” they said. 

The king did not know what to think. 

Didn’t I come here yesterday and find the 
whole palace gone?” he asked the duke. 
‘^And wasn’t there an old hut in its place? 
Didn’t I go into the hut, and find you and 
my daughter very poorly clothed?” 

^^I wonder the king can talk so,” the duke 
said. Surely, the forest trolls must have 
bewitched your eyes.” Then he turned to 
the courtiers and asked, ‘‘What do you 
think?” 

They bowed and scraped till their backs 
were bent double, and agreed with every- 
thing he said. 

The king rubbed his eyes, and looked 


124 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


round about him, and said to tbe duke: 
suppose it is as you say then. It is well I 
have got back my proper sight and come to 
my senses, for it would have been a sin and 
a shame if I had let you be hanged.” 

So he was happy again, and no one 
thought any more about the matter. 

The duke in future managed most of his 
affairs so that Lars was seldom required to 
wear out his shoes doing tasks for him. The 
king soon gave him haK the kingdom. 
After that the duke had plenty to do, and 
the people said they would have to search a 
long time to find his equal in wise and just 
ruling. 

One day Lars’ voice spoke to the duke 
saying: ‘‘You do not need my help any 
longer. I move about so little that my shoes 
are getting covered with moss. Perhaps you 
would be willing to give me a leave of 
absence.” 


A PUZZLING SITUATION 125 


tMnk I could do without you,” the 
duke responded. ^‘But I don’t want to risk 
losing this palace and its furnishings. Such 
a clever builder as you I shall never get 
again. Besides there’s the chance of my 
being hung. No, I can’t give you back your 
paper.” 

^^WeU,” Lars said, ‘‘as long as you have 
it, I need not fear ; but if any one else should 
get hold of it there would be nothing but 
running and trudging about again. That’s 
what I want to avoid. When one has been 
working as I have for a thousand years he 
begins to get tired of it.” 

They went on talking and at last agreed 
that the duke should put the paper in a box 
which he would bury, with a great flat stone 
on top of it, ten feet underground. Then 
they parted. 

The duke lived happy and contented with 
the princess, and they had sons and daugh- 


126 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 

ters. When the king died, he got the whole 
kingdom, and no doubt he still lives and 
reigns there if he is not dead. 

As for the buried box with the scrap of 
paper in it, there are many who still go 
digging for it. 


XX 

PAYING THE JUDGE 

A CAT and a rat found a big piece of cheese 
in a closet, and carried it away. But they 
couldn’t agree how to divide it. So they 
called in a fox to judge between them. 

The fox was very cunning. He got some 
scales and put the cheese on them. Then he 
took a knife and cut off a big piece. ‘‘That 
is for the judge,” he said, putting the piece 
aside. 

Again he weighed the cheese and again he 
cut off a piece, put it with the other he had 
cut off and said, “That is for the judge also. ” 

By this time he had taken more than half 
the cheese. He had put what remained back 
on the scales and was about to weigh it when 

127 


128 BEDTIME WONDER TALES 


the cat and the rat called out: ^‘Hold on, 
judge ! This thing is wrong. You are going 
to take all the cheese and leave us none.’’ 

The fox was very much vexed. He gath- 
ered up the cheese and shouted: ‘‘Begone, 
you rogues ! . You live by stealing, and yet 
you tell me how to do justice. You are lucky 
that I only take the cheese and let you go 
with your lives. I have a great mind to kill 
you both.” 

With that, the cat and the rat left in a 
hurry ; and the fox ate all the cheese. 





















if ^ r ' 





■i.- v'^". . '^ .•^y:.\ " 


* ^ J ^ * 

' 0^ s '^c* 


'^y> o * 

'■y ■;>, : V i5|\y 

6 -O 



C^ * ^ o' 

'^f- -4'^.0'<C, , 

9. c,o\-;c^*'-y^- . 

'P ^ ^vx\\\iiN|. aX 


* *' ■^' ' ' - ' ‘ V-' . . . , '-9,. ■ *0.0^ ,%v 

J.'? x'l.^ '' C- ■' 

, ...,5'.%, .i. ..J,^ »' ' 


"rfxIrV^ % 4 




•y 

u 


* ^ 0 



?v 





✓ 

, ^ .-- > 

\^ <i.'^ * 0 " > .0^ 'C‘ \/ ^ * 0 r. 

'i V. " 

c ' i s ' »■ ' •/ .. . ^ 

* tt ^ ^ .\ , 

^ 'P v"^ .^'' 

. ^ *>V. A' ^ 

-0 ^ ^ 

rf " ,0o. ” *^'«=JS--X» _ 4 T. ^ 'Ji-’ 

'It. * ^ 

-> « " o> , s ^ 

^ .^\ *V 




\^ 0 

^S T ^ N ® 

\ * V- V 

- '>>' ^ 
\v „ 


c 






vL 

; i ... , 





'WW.*’- / % 




o 

G 

% 



7L 



z 

a 

■# 


o 





O 






* .0 N 0 ^1 


\* 


» c 
^ ^.*0' 


/%*'-* r:>-'^o-’ 

Oa ^ O^ 

V- ■>• «' 

Wyj ^ ^ 

tf ; ,, 

<'.-■. V-‘ V. 

^ t o' f ~. 

'"'‘'= o5 

■\v 

a N 0 ^ ^ 

V S- ^ 

V V 

.S\^' ^j> s 
'^' 


/n u^ ^ ^ ^ 

' ' !,1' '' '"c 

a "^ ' ' ■ 




\0 °x. . 



-> -c <1 c oN^ 

”'> ‘“''>"s":;j'' V’^ 

' /> c ■ **' * '^'r. \\' ^ 

//)% ° 'Cr' ^ '' '^' ■ * 




